Ja Morant is set to miss his sixth game of the season when the Memphis Grizzlies host the Denver Nuggets on Monday. The 2025-26 campaign has not gone as expected for Morant, as a series of setbacks has prevented him from performing at the level fans have come to expect.
Earlier in the season, Morant faced leadership issues after publicly criticizing Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo, which resulted in a suspension. More recently, the star guard has been sidelined due to injury.
The question on everyone’s mind now is, when will Morant make his return on the hardwood?
No Definite Timeline For Ja Morant’s Return
The Grizzlies are set to take on the 12-4 Nuggets on Monday. Memphis will be without its star point guard for the fourth consecutive game since he missed the San Antonio Spurs game last Tuesday.
On Nov. 15, Morant suffered a grade 1 right calf strain after six minutes of play against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He left the game with seven points, having made all of his shot attempts.
According to several injury reports, there is no exact timeline for Morant’s return. Since his injury, he is expected to be re-evaluated within two weeks. With that in mind, it could be sometime next week from the time of this writing.
Status Report: @memgrizz vs @nuggets, November 24 pic.twitter.com/oBdFp887wd
— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) November 23, 2025
Only then will the doctors provide more detailed information on when he might return. If Morant’s results come back negative, he is likely to miss an extended period this season.
If that happens, the star point guard could miss another potential All-Star season. Over the past couple of seasons, Morant has missed All-Star selections due to injuries. The amount of playing time he misses each season has hindered him from being selected.
In the 2023-24 season, Morant played only nine games. Last season, he participated in just 50 games. Given the current pattern, there is a possibility he could miss a significant number of games this year.
This comes at a bad time, as the Grizzlies have struggled so far this season. Memphis is currently in 10th place in the Western Conference with a 6-11 record.
After Monday’s game against the Nuggets, the Grizzlies face a challenging four-game road trip. It begins with NBA Cup contests against the Pelicans on Wednesday and the Clippers on Friday, followed by matchups against the Kings and Spurs.
If the Grizzlies lose their next couple of games without Morant, they could easily fall to 13th place, given how close their record is to the Dallas Mavericks (5-13).
